Elizabeth Ames Jones leaves U.S. Senate race to run for State Senate

Elizabeth Ames Jones announced officially that she is stepping down from the U.S. Senate Republican primary race to run instead for State Senate in Texas’ 25th district.

Patrick Isenberg, Jones’ spokesman, said that the Texas Railroad Commissioner believes she could better serve Texas in the State Senate.

“Her heart is in the district and is in the Texas state legislature,” he said. “That’s where she got her start.”

He added that “direct representation is appealing to her.”

Since polling began in January of this year, Ames Jones has consistently found herself polling below the top three in Texas, with the most recent poll showing her in fifth place with two percent of the vote.

In the 25th district, which stretches from northern Bexar County to southern Travis County and encompasses Comal, Hays, Kendall and Guadalupe Counties in between, she’ll be running against incumbent Jeff Wentworth. Isenberg said Wentworth’s record was part of the reason Ames Jones decided to run for State Senate.

“She feels that the lack of conservative representation was one of the appealing factors of the race,” he said.

At this point in the race, Isenberg said Ames Jones has no plans to endorse any of the remaining candidates in the U.S. Senate race.